Breathe To Read

Breathe To Read

Wednesday, March 16, 2022

2022 Challenge: A Book With a Reflective Image/Mirror on the Cover: A History Of Wild Places

 Book: A History of Wild Places

Author: Shea Ernshaw

Pages: 368



This is my 17th read for the year

Travis has been hired to find a missing author named Maggie.  His path leads him to a place called Pastoral - a secluded community that few know about.  Pastoral has left the world behind.  The people do not venture beyond its borders - knowing that there is a chance that they could get sick if they do.  The people who have been born and raised in Pastoral no nothing of the outside world.  Travis stumbles upon it one day and disappears.

Years later - Theo, a member of Pastoral- comes across Travis' truck and a blurry photo of a woman, and starts asking questions. The truck is beyond the border - past where the members of Pastoral are permitted to visit.  Theo's wife Calla, and her sister Bea start to unravel mysteries and discover where they live might not be the paradise they once believed.  When the truth is finally revealed, everything they thought they knew is lost.

This was a fair book.  You can figure a few things out pretty early in the book, but a few secrets that don't come until the end were well placed.  You don't feel the author is keeping the reader in the dark just for the sake of it.  The mystery uravels at a good pace, and while the ending isn't shocking, you never feel like the characters could have gotten there sooner with the information they had.  I would say the downside of this one might be the believability of how the people of Pastoral got to be the way they were.  I don't want to give anything away, but what I felt was lacking was more of the HOW this was accomplished.  It was hard to fathom.

If you have seen "The Village" by M. Knight you will think you are in almost a paraellel of that story for a little bit.  Secluded community that has forgotten all about the outside world.  

It is an interesting science fiction/magical realism type book, so if this is your thing, check this one out.

Stars:  3 1/2


No comments:

Post a Comment